Katherine Borkowski-Byrne
“Growing up in New Jersey to working class parents who grew up during the depression, there was no art to be encouraged nor even mentioned. We lived a subway ride away from the museums and galleries in NYC, but we knew nothing about them. Thanks to my Aunt Frances, who worked in an envelope factory, and supplied us with realms of leftover stock, my older brother Joey and I were able to entertain ourselves for hours during our childhood with pencils and paper. Joey felt he was the “artist” because he could draw and copy things in proper proportion, while I made up fantastical people and creatures; and while he drew in black and white, I took out the crayons and always used every color in the box.
I did not find my way to oil paint until I was married to my husband Tom, and living in Nova Scotia at the age of 22. I took a class with a local artist who gave us a list of colors to purchase for the first class. But, then for the entire year, he had us paint in black and white to teach us “values.” During summer break, I finally opened all the colors and fell in love with painting. I then moved onto university classes with an art professor Ian James at Acadia University in Nova Scotia. Prof. James had studied at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts, and through his many stories, I knew I too wanted to study at this Boston Museum School.
Years later, and with our two boys, Tommy and Chris, we moved back to the USA and the Boston area. When, Chris started kindergarten, I started my formal art studies at the Boston School of the Museum of Fine Arts. German Expressionism and the New York School of Abstract Expressionism both in painting and in concept, were my primary interests and influences. I loved the idea of freedom of expression, intuitive brushwork, and particularly, personal use of color.
I found my way to the Fountain Street Gallery after being part of another gallery for a number of years until it closed. As I searched for another gallery, I was attracted to the high quality of work and the wide range of expression among the member artists at Fountain Street. It is my second year here and it is a pleasure to be among the very creative and supportive artists that make up this unique gallery.”